Improvement in turbine water-wheels



H. WATERS. TURBINE WATER-WHEEL- No. 172,217.. Y Patented 12111.11,1876-.

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3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. WATERS. TURBINE WATER-WHEEL:

Pat'ented Jan. 1'1, 1876.

No.17Z,Z17.

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TURBINE WATER-WHEEL r No.17Z,Z1 7. Patented Jan.11, 18r76g WijrrlESEEE-4 Im/Erl'l-trr- PQI fwh/ N.PETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPNER. WASHINGTON D CUNITED STATES PATENT OEEIGE.

EEEVEY WATERS, oF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN TURB/INE WATER-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 172,217, dated January11, 1876; application led v 'i DecemberV 2l, 1875.

To all whom it may concern: c

Be itknown that I, HERVEY WATERS, of Boston, inthe county of Suffolk andState of Massachusetts, have invented an .Improve-- ment in TurbineWater-Wheels, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to turbine waterwheels, and is shown as appliedto a wheel receiving its water internally from an elevated pen-stock ortrough, and discharging the water through its outer peripheryinto arace. Figure lis a side elevation of this improved turbine wheel. Fig. 2is a vertical section thereof. Fig. 3 is a top view of the devicesoperating the buckets, the upper flange ofthe wheel, and thecorresponding guides to regulate and adjust the capacity of the wheel.Fig. 4 is a top view of the chute or guide pitch and the movablebucket-wheel; and Fig. 5 is another View of the annular guide andbucket-wheel, `showing' clearly the annular space for guiding the lowerflange of the bucketwheel.

A is a pen-stock or water-receiver, into which water enters at a, andwithin the receiver is formed a tube, b, to receive the shaft d, itbeing hollow, and .litted to a step, e, and adapted to receive within itthe connecting-rod c, connected at top with the spider f, carryingscrew-rods g, connected positively with the spider-arms and withprojections on-the cylindrical guide h, which is arranged to be raisedor lowered'throu gh the action of a large toothed wheel, z', engagingsmaller toothed wheels j 7, provided with internal screwthreads, and

fitted to screw-threads or screw-rods y. The

large toothed wheel i is connected with the pen-stock A to turn thereon,but not to rise or fall, and the small wheels engaged by wheel i arealso prevented from movin g up or down by means of arms x x, andtherefore movement of' the large wheel in one or the other directionwill move the rods g, spider f, connecting-rod c, cylindricalguide h,the part m, and buckets and upper flange ofthe wheel up or down.

The connecting-rod cis fitted to rotate in the spider, havingshoulder-bearings above and below it, and extends downward into shaft d,which is provided at its lower end with a long slot, lc, (see Fig. 2,)to permit the passageiup and down of a key, l, such key lconnecting therod c with the part m, carrying the buck et-wheel n, land connected withthe part m by screws p. As the connecting-rod c is raised vor lowered itmoves with it the part m, and

its attached bucket-wheel n, causing the bucket-plates o o of thebucket-wheel, connected by 1means of anges q, to rise or fall, andproject more or less above 'the upper surface ofthe 4guide-pitch r, andannular guide s slotted to receive thebucket-plates o, secured to theshaft d, which does not move longitudinally', but is always held in afixed position, and adapted to rotate with the shaft.

At the lower end t of the tube b is attached, by screws or otherwise,(see Fig. 2,) a guide-pitch of the usual construction, and the upperside of this pitch-plate is always in line with the top of the guide s,through which the buckets slide. The outer vertical faces of the endsofthe division-plates v fit into grooves z, formed in the inner side ofthe adjustable cylindrical guide h.

The pen-stock is suitably supported, in this instance, by posts a',rising from a framework, b', provided with the step for the spindle orshaft d, ears or lugs c', projecting from the pen-stock resting on theposts. To the penstock Vare attached guides d', adapted to enter groovesin a flange on the cylindrical guide h, and to guide it as it is movedup or down. A suitable packing may be placed between the cylindricalguide h and the penstock. Y

The water received at a passes through the pen-stock into the chute orguide-pitch, and out through the bucket-wheel, as indicated by thearrows, and turns the wheel in the manner as usual in the Frenchturbine, when the gate is entirely withdrawn.

From the above description it is obvious that the bottom of thecylindrical guide h and the bottom of the upper flange q will always bein the same plane, whether the same Vbe v elevated more or less, and theupper face of the guide s, and the upper face of thepitchplate'contiguous thereto, are always in the same plane, whether thecapacity of the wheel be made more or less, by the adjustment of theparts through the screw-rods g, as before described.

From this construction describedandshown,

it is also obvious that the discharging-orices at their extreme outwarddischarging-points, will always he smaller than the same orices next theguide h, which would not be the case if the cylindrical guide h werepushed considerably below the upper flange g of the wheel, as ispractised with the common French turbine.

It is obvious that, in the use of this wheel, the head of water lyingupon and within it will produce a strong upward pressure against theupper'rim of the wheel, and also against the lower end of thecylindrical guide, and to counteract this to the desired extent water isadmitted under substantially the same head into the annular spacebetween the lower flange q and the upper working rim of guide s, throughwhich the buckets slide. This can be done through suitable openings nearthe inner edge ofthe buckets, either through holes for that purpose madein the rim, or through slots at the side of the buckets. The lower rim qshould iit snugly in the annular space between the two walls of theguide s, upon each side of the annulus, and if found desirable for thispurpose suitablel packing may be introduced there in any well-knownmanner.

Itis obvious that, under some conditions,

`name to this specification in the operate in connection with eachother, to vary the capacity ofthe wheel, substantially as described.

2. rIhe guide, having an annular space to receive the bucket-plates andlower rim of the wheel, combined with the wheel, and adapted to operatesubstantially as described, to counterbalance the upward pressure of thewater. 3. The cylindrical guide, bucket-wheel, and guide-pitch, incombination with an annular guide, slotted to receive and guide thebucket-plates, as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

HERVEY WATERS. Witnesses:

G. W. GREGORY, W. J. PRATT.

